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‘The place is called the Interior Ministry, Alean,’ Melidere told her gently

‘I preferred her terne chuckled

‘May I be excused,with mortification

‘Of course, dear,’ Ehlana replied sympathetically

‘Not just yet, Ehlana,’ Sarabian cut in ‘Come here, child,’ he said to Alean

She crossed to his chair and curtsied a bit aardly ‘Yes, your Majesty?’ she said in a scarcely audible voice

‘Don’t pay any attention to Oscagne,’ he said ‘His sense of hu to say?’

‘It’s silly, your Majesty I’irl I shouldn’t have spoken’

‘Alean,’ he said very gently, ‘you were the one who suggested that we take all the files of all the s and spread them out on the lawns That turned out to be an excellent idea I don’t know about these others, but I’ll listen to anything you have to say Please go on’

‘Well, your Majesty,’ she said, blushing even harder, ‘as I understand what Milord Stragen just said, those people wanted to hide things that ritten down, so they wrote new papers and put them in place of the ones they didn’t want us to see’

‘It looks as if that’s what they’ve done, all right’

‘Well, then, if new paper’s white, and old paper’s yelloouldn’t that sort of e has white papers ood God!’ Stragen exclai himself on the forehead with his open palht along with you,’ Caalador added ‘We both walked right over the top of the simplest and most obvious answer How could we have missed it?’

‘If I wanted to be spiteful, I could say that it was because you’re men, Master Caalador,’ Baroness Melidere smiled sweetly, ‘and men just adore unnecessary coh, so I won’t say it’ She gave the two thieves an arch little look ‘I may think it, but I won’t say it,’ she added

‘It’s very easily explained, your Majesty,’ Teovin replied calmly ‘You’ve already touched on it yourself’ Teovin, the Director of the Secret Police at the Interior Ministry, was a dry, spare sort offeatures He was so ordinary-looking that Ehlana felt him to be an almost perfect secret policeman

‘And what is this brilliant explanation that I’ve already discovered without even noticing it?’ Sarabian asked acidly

Teovin held up the yellowed sheet the Eiven him ‘As your Majesty pointed out, the ink on this document has faded rather badly The information in our files is vital to the security of the Empire, so we can’t let time erase the documents The files are constantly reviewed, and any docuibility is copied off to preserve it’

‘Why hasn’t that one in your hand been updated then, Teovin?’ the Ehed diffidently ‘Ah – budgetary considerations, your Majesty,’ he explained ‘The Chancellery of the Exchequer saw fit to cut our appropriation this year They’re strange over at Exchequer They always act as if it were their own personal hed The Emperor, Ehlana noted, was very fast on his feet, instantly adjusting to surprises ‘Chancellor Gashon’s hands start to shake every ti broken tiles in the throne-roohten this out, my friend I commend you for your devotion to your duty and your concern for the documents which have been placed in your care’

‘I live but to serve, your Majesty’ Teovin paused ‘I wonder – ht I have a ith Interior Minister Kolata? There are some matters – strictly routine, of course – that should be brought to his attention’

Sarabian laughed ‘Afraid not, old boy,’ he said easily ‘You wouldn’t be able to keep his attention for very long today’

‘Oh?’

‘He got so into a pail since just afterthe pail, but his toenails haven’t come out as yet Poor Kolata I can’t remember when I’ve seen a man so sick’

‘Do you think it’s serious, your Majesty?’ Teovin sounded genuinely concerned

‘Oh, probably not We’ve all come in contact with bad food before, so we knohat to expect He thinks he’s going to die, though I’d iine that he rather wishes he could We have a physician in attendance He’ll be all right tomorrow – thinner, h to look after business Why don’t you coet in to see hi to the floor to grovel formally before the Emperor Then he rose to his feet and left the audience chaone,’ Mirtai reported from the doorway ‘He just went out into the courtyard’

‘Quick, isn’t he?’ Caalador noted ‘He didn’t so much as turn a hair when your Majesty handed hien said ‘He had his story prepared well in advance’

‘His explanation is plausible, Stragen,’ Sarabian pointed out

‘Of course, your Majesty Secret policemen are very creative We know that Interior Minister Kolata’s involved in treason He wouldn’t be ency’s suspect We almost have to assume that every department head is involved As Caalador so colorfully pointed out, anyone who didn’t join in probably got himself defenestrated just as soon as he objected’

‘De-what?’ Melidere asked

‘Defenestrated It h one, usually It doesn’t accoround-floor ’

‘There isn’t really such a word, Stragen You’reit up’

‘No, honestly, Baroness,’ he protested ‘It’s a real word It’s a common solution to the problem of politically inconvenient people’

‘I think we’re straying here,’ Ehlana told them ‘Sarabian, why did you make up that story about Kolata and the bad fish?’

‘We don’t want his underlings to find out that we’re keeping hied into insensibility most of the time, do we, Ehlana?’